CHICAGO — Kicking off the new programs at the Industrial Distribution Assn./Industrial Supply Manufacturers Assn. fall convention on Friday, November 22, is a day-long management workshop with management consultant Jim Ambrose.

Attendees of Business Leadership Skills for the Industrial Distribution Manager will uncover their management style and its effects on their organization, learn what a high performance, profitable distributorship should look like, how to capitalize on the best management techniques, and leave with a useful toolkit of practical "how-to" information.

The general convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, Ill., from Saturday, November 23 through Monday, November 25. The convention theme is The Next Century of Distribution: More Value, More Market Share.

The convention begins on Saturday with educational workshops. Sessions from Gary Clark, David Kahle, Dr. William McCleave, Scott Benfield, Thomas P. Gale and Robert Nadeau focus on topics that address this theme.

New features include "dine around" networking dinners, technology "inforums" and supplier booth programs. Monday will feature a networking breakfast and lunch to complement the distributor conference booth program.

"The Industrial Distribution Assn. and its longtime partner association, the Industrial Supply Manufacturers Assn., have re-aligned their relationship in response to new market conditions and to assure that the increasingly disparate needs of the members of the two associations are well served ...," said I.D.A. executive director Gary Buffington. "Members need to interact with a broad and diverse range of product and service suppliers to better serve their customers."